Burned At The Stake
by trycee
Summary: Mulder and Scully are investigating a modern day Witch who was burned at the stake, an old patient of Hannibal's. The woman's ghost has been seen since her death bursting into flames to horrified on-lookers. Mulder and Scully seek to solve her murder. *Scully meets Bedelia* Bump In The Night Halloween Crossover Challenge
1. Chapter 1

**Burned At The Stake**

**Part 1**

**by**

**Trycee**

**Time-Line: Halloween Crossover story: X-Files/Hannibal. +Bump In The Night Halloween Crossover Challenge**

**Location: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.**

****Food descriptions come from Janice Poon, a food stylist for NBC Hannibal from her blog, "Feeding Hannibal"****

Scully stared at the projection screen in horror, it was nearly too grisly to comprehend. A woman had been burned at a stake, left in an isolated woods with only one leg and one arm still visible.

"What must this woman have gone through," Scully sighed.

Mulder flipped the switch on the projector and another image came to light. Written in her ashes visible enough to still be seen were the words, 'WITCH'.

"Someone is duplicating the Salem Witch trials, Mulder? Only this time in Baltimore?", Scully said, as Mulder watched her closely. "Satanic sacrifice, maybe? Meant to be disguised as a witch hunt? Or perhaps the perpetrator thinks she is in fact a witch and he see's himself as judge, jury and executioner?"

Mulder tapped a pencil against his lower lip and stared at the screen. He was unusually quiet and it unnerved her.

"Mulder?", she said, as a question laced with concern.

Mulder smiled in her direction. "Ever since her murder witnesses have claimed to see a woman appear and burst into flames."

"What witnesses?"

Mulder pulled out the article from a corner store magazine and pointed to a drawn image of a burning witch.

Without batting an eye, Scully asked,"Are we assigned to this case?"

"Someone wants us on this case," Mulder said, handing her a slip of paper. "Someone sent this in my email."

"So are we investigating it?"

"That's the problem, it's already being investigated by the FBI," Mulder said.

"By who?", Scully said, growing concerned. Mulder was acting strangely. Instead of jumping up, ready to fly out the door to investigate a new X-Files, he was standing against the projection machine with a lost look on his face. "Mulder? By who?"

Mulder finally focused on Scully. "Jack Crawford and his new pet, Will Graham," he said, bitterly.

"Jack Crawford, the head of the Behavioral Science Unit, where you worked prior to starting the X-Files?", she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yes, Jack knows me well. "

"You were the golden boy, just as Will Graham is now," she said, matter of factually. "Let me guess, when you decided to leave to pursue the X-Files, he wasn't thrilled. "

"He wasn't thrilled when I was there," Mulder said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Will Graham teaches at the academy," Scully said, standing directly in front of Mulder. "He suffers from anxiety, Asperger's and several other conditions," Scully stated. "I knew of him in passing when I worked at the academy," she sighed. "I hear he has a very unique way of visualizing the crime scene."

"I hear it's down right _'Spooky'_, yet no one ridicules him or calls him a freak!", Mulder scoffed. "I guess I already had that label."

"I guess chasing after little green men is worst in their eyes than having a mental challenge and seeing a crime scenes aura's." she said, locking eyes with Mulder.

Mulder shut off the projection machine. "Yes but no one is investigating her appearances after-death, Scully!"

Scully shook her head and sighed.

"If we opened an X-Files, we'll need Skinner's back on this and he'll try to shut down our investigation, Scully."

"What reason do we have to investigate it, Mulder?",Scully questioned. "Scribbling witch into ashes doesn't make it an X-Files."

"Seeing an apparition of a Dead Witch is!", he smiled.

"Well, how do we investigate it without getting into trouble if there's already a team investigating her death?"

"We investigate it unofficially," he said, grabbing up his jacket. "We'll tell Skinner we're investigating an X-file and we'll report to him when we get the details."

Scully stepped in front of him. "Mulder, it'll be our asses on the line. I thought you said we needed Skinner to back us up? All it takes is the Director Jack Crawford or whoever is overseeing this to shut us down!"

"Are you in or out, Scully?", Mulder said, holding the door open.

Scully sighed heavily and exchanged glances with Mulder. "Fine," she said, grabbing up her jacket. "Unofficially, Mulder."

Scully donned some blue scrubs and re-examined the already autopsied body parts, searching for anomalies that perhaps the coroner had missed. The arm was blackened from extreme heat but underneath the top layer of dead skin Scully could see a word etched into the flesh. She snapped a few photos and then moved on to the other remaining body part, the leg. There were no distinguishing features about the leg and so she quickly wrapped up her investigation.

Mulder stood outside the observation window waiting for Scully's initial conclusion. She waved for him to enter the autopsy bay and reluctantly he walked over to her as she stood over the blackened skin of the burned body. "It belongs to a woman and after she had been burned, someone waited for her body to cool long enough to scratched the words, 'witch' into her arm, right here!", Scully said, pointing to the corpses right arm. "What a horrible way to die, Mulder and what a horrible thing to do to the body.."

"Truly," he said, trying not to gag from the smell of burned flesh. "Whoever wanted her dead was passionate about killing her."

Scully looked into his eyes briefly before turning away.

"We don't even know who she is," Scully sighed. "We need to first find out if there's any missing women between 18 and 40. I can **_only_** tell that she is between the age of 18 to 40 and that's all I can determine," she said. "Whoever did this was sick, Mulder."

"Good job, Scully," Mulder said, stepping away from the body parts. "I'll go check the databases to see if anyone filed a missing person's report."

"Okay," she said, "I'll meet you when I'm done."

Mulder nodded and then disappeared through the doors leaving Scully all alone with the scorched fragments. She grabbed the camera and began to snap photos of the victim's right arm. "Whoever did this to you," she whispered. "We'll catch them and make them pay."

She turned and gasped, dropped her knife on the floor. In a pattern leading from the table where the arm and leg still lay, three outlined human feet made of ashes lead away from the table to the door and then disappeared. Scully grabbed the camera and began snapping the photos, afraid they might vanish as suddenly as they had appeared. She then took several samples of the sand and locking it away to be later analyize and compared with the sand where the body had been found. She then swept up the area as she tried to contain herself. She was frightened but she knew she couldn't show any weakness, ever.

Scully scanned the tops of the heads of the Baltimore field agents searching for Mulder. She could see that a few of the male agents were interested in her but she moved through the crowd searching for her partner until she saw his tall lanky frame scrunched over a young FBI agent, his attention solely on the task in front of him.

"Mulder," she said, and instantly he turned in her direction, his attention focused solely on her. "Oh hey, Scully. Did you bring the autopsy report?"

"I need to speak to you," she said, gesturing for him to step away from another FBI agent who was helping with their investigation.

Mulder stood up and followed her a few steps away. "Mulder, I can't believe I'm about to say this."

Mulder looked concerned. "What is it, Scully?"

She glanced up into his hazel orbs and sighed heavily. "After you left, Mulder...I turned around and there were footprints made of sand on the floor leading from the table to the door."

Mulder chuckled disbelievingly until Scully handed him the photos.

"Scully..."

"I know," she said.

"Well, we need to find our missing Witch."

"I'm still...", she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Shaken up about it."

Mulder, using both hands, rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "It's okay," he said, soothingly. "Even though you're frightened...consider it her way of communicating with you."

"Communicating?", she said, alarmed.

"Yes!", he smiled as she stared at his bottom lip. "Maybe she wants us to help solve her murder, Scully."

She stared at him, searching his eyes and all she saw was calm in his earthly orbs and it calmed her.

"Come with me," he said, placing his hand on his spot and guiding her back to where he had been sitting. A younger FBI agent was switching between tabs, searching the Missing Person's databases as well as the local Baltimore police reports for missing girls.

"So far," Agent Downing said, "There's just four leads. Two women are in their twenties missing from the local universities."

"Nothing unusual about a few missing girls from a college per year," Scully said, matter of factually. "A serial rapist, a jealous boyfriend, a drunk frat kid, an older married professor," she said, as Mulder watched her. "Those are your typical suspects. "

"The third woman was in her thirties and the other in her forties."

"It _IS_ unusual for women in their thirties and forties to just vanish. Typically it's because of a domestic altercation and the killer is a spouse, a lover," Scully said, glancing briefly at Mulder much to his surprise. Her cheeks colored pink."What were the circumstances?", she said, clearing her throat.

Agent Downing read from the screen."One appears to be a domestic abuse case and the other just vanished. No one saw her disappear. All of her belongings including her credit cards, keys and purse were all still in her home. Her car was parked outside of her home," he said, handing her a photo of a pretty dark haired woman in her early 40's. "No one noticed her gone."

"What about a spouse? A roommate? Children?"

He continued to read on from the screen. "She lived alone and she didn't have any children. She was in and out of mental facilities and so when she vanished, no one assumed it was foul play. She was known to dabble in the Occult. Ah, She see's a therapist. A Dr. Hannibal Lecter."

Scully glanced up to the Mulder. "We need to know if the therapist knew her whereabouts or if assumed she lapsed and had a break down," she leaned over Agent's Downing's shoulder. I see no diagnosis though. Perhaps she was schizophrenic or Bipolar..."

"Exactly," Mulder said. "My gut says, she's our Witch, Scully."

"Katie Williams," speaking her name out loud. "Well we'll have to find the rest of her," she said. "You want to visit the crime scene first or her home?"

"The crime scene has been picked at, Scully," he said. "I want to visit where she lived. Talk to the neighbor's. We need to see if she had any friends, relatives or a boyfriend that would visit her. I'm sure the neighbor's would know better than most," he said, heading towards the front door.

He grabbed the victim's photo in his hand and then placed his other hand on his spot and he followed Scully out of the Baltimore FBI field office. Mulder pulled up to the brown single home on a Cul de Sac. They scanned the outside of the home and saw the Baltimore metro police parked directly in front of the single story home. Mulder and Scully walked up the walkway but were stopped by the local police. After flashing their badges they gained entry into the home but were surprised to find an entire FBI team already there.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Agent Fox Mulder," Jack Crawford beamed. "What are you doing here, Mulder? I've got a team here already. No one authorized you or your partner to be here."

"We're here unofficially, sir," Scully answered.

"Unofficially?", Jack said, looking at Scully and then into the eyes of Mulder. "So, I take it Walter Skinner doesn't know you're here in Baltimore, correct? Still disobeying the rules, I see, huh Mulder?"

Mulder had stopped in his tracks the moment he saw Jack Crawford. Scully was surprised at his reaction to the taller man, She could see all the little nuisances, the tightening of his jaw, the slight twitch of his mouth. He was unnerved by Jack Crawford's presence and she didn't know why. He stared into the eyes of Jack Crawford for a long while until finally Scully cleared her throat bringing him back to the present.

"We're here to determine if this is an X-files case or not."

A hysterical chuckle came from in back of the room. Scully looked past the three others who stood in the living room and she could see a small man with brown hair who immediately looked away from them. Will Graham.

Mulder's jaw tightened further and his eyes settled back onto Jack Crawford. "I won't impede your investigation if you don't impede ours."

"One phone call, Agent Mulder, and you won't have an investigation to work!", Jack threatened.

Mulder stared harshly at the taller man. "Sorry that I'm not your golden boy," he sneered. "We all can't be puppets lead around by our leashes!", he yelled.

Will glanced up in the direction of both Mulder and Scully. "Nice personal shot, Agent Mulder," Will smiled. "Too bad it doesn't really bother me. I'm aware of my shortcomings. My imperfections are what help me to solve cases. And I'm no puppet for any man."

Mulder moved past Jack standing a few yards from Will. "Well, just be fair warned,"Mulder spoke directly to Will. "When you do walk away, be prepared to have him attempt to sabotage your career," he said, turning to look directly at Jack Crawford.

Crawford chuckled. "I didn't have to do that, Mulder. You did that on your own...what with looking for flying saucers!"

Mulder shook his head, tired of the harassment.

"You were the best profiler we had!"

"Oh save me the bullshit!", Mulder screamed.

"And what, you're jealous that Will is now doing what you didn't have the balls to do?"

"Move out of my way, Crawford!", Mulder said. "Agent Scully and I are going to actually solve this case!"

Scully glanced at the rest of the team. She only recognized Will Graham who was standing in the living room along with an Asian woman, and two other men who looked curiously back at her.

"Fine," Will said. "If you think you could do any better than I can..."

Mulder cut him off. "With your psychic mumble-jumble?", he sneered.

"Well," Will spoke. "I thought you believed in that sort of thing, Agent Mulder."

"True psychic's not psychotic's on the verge of a nervous breakdown being used like a puppet by Jack Crawford!", Mulder said pushing through the others until he stood above the smaller man and looked down into his eyes.

Will Graham laughed."So what's your take on this case?"

"Did you know that people are reporting seeing her? That she appears and bursts into flames?"

The room erupted into laughter, all except Mulder and Scully.

"I think we'll continue with our investigation," Will said, dismissively.

Mulder walked up to Will. "You've been warned," Mulder whispered. "I was you, Will Graham. But If I _were_ you, I'd save myself and go back to teaching before you're just another casualty."

Mulder turned and headed up the stairs leading to the second floor leaving Scully alone.

Scully glanced around her as all eyes rested on her and she scampered up the stairs after him.

"Mulder, what was that?", she said, angered.

"It doesn't matter," he said, slapping on latex gloves and searching under the bed, pulling out the dresser drawers and fingering each pair of clothing, searching for anything that would lead him to figuring out what had happened to Katie Williams. The presence of the other FBI agents had verified that she was the victim, he just needed a motive and to find evidence.

"So you just ditch me! Leave me down there by myself!"

Mulder sighed and then stood up and touched her arm. "Sorry, Scully. I just needed to get out of there."

"So, Crawford was what..."

"It doesn't matter,", he said, looking into her eyes and tucking a curl behind her ear. "Let's just search around so we can get out of here."

She smiled up at him and then nodded. "Okay," she said.

They searched around and Mulder dropped to his knees and looked under the bed. "Hey Scully...look at this. I think we had a case like this once."

Scully pushed the linens out of her line of sight and she nodded. "Witchcraft and Satanism."

"Let's get a photo of this. "

"A photo of what?", Beverly asked, ducking in the room with them.

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Do you mind?"

"You intruded in on our investigation...I'm intruding on yours," she said, kneeling next to Scully and Mulder and staring at the scratches in the wood floor. "Let's move the bed over."

Mulder shot a look at Scully and then stood up and with Beverly's help, they scooted the bed over.

"Nice," Beverly remarked. "Scratched with a sharp object. Three symbols. What does it mean?"

"It's for protection," Mulder announced. "And power," Mulder announced.

Beverly sighed. "Uh huh," she said, snapping photos of the intricately carved eye in a triangle.

"And this symbol?", Scully asked.

"A Pentagram" Mulder said. "But these two are from Witchcraft while this one here is a Satanic symbol," Mulder said, looking at the last symbol. "It's a Satanic Star."

"Yeah?", Scully answered. "So did she graduate from witchcraft to Satanism?"

"Looks like," he sighed. " The Satanic Star is used in rituals, it's the main symbol representing Satanism."

"So, did she gain power? Is that why people are seeing here now or is she upset about being murdered?," Beverly interrupted. Scully glanced at her but Beverly continued to snap the photos.

"I don't know the answer to that," Mulder said.

"Let's look around and see if there's proof that Katie Williams had crossed over from witchcraft into Satanism."

Scully sighed and then began to carefully look at around again. She spotted something she had missed. "Mulder, look..."

Mulder walked over to Scully. "It's Clozapine. It's a pretty strong anti-psychotic drug that was once banned but later reintroduced to the U.S. It's typically only prescribed to those who aren't responding to any other drugs. It has some pretty serious side effects, Mulder. Her doctor...a Dr. Hannibal Lecter didn't prescribe this lightly."

"Hannibal was the doctor?", Beverly said, snatching the pill out of Scully's hand.

Scully's eyebrows raised and Mulder could tell she was about to blow and so he placed his hand on her arm and mouthed, 'Calm down' to her. She stared into his hazel eyes and immediately relaxed.

"I know Hannibal," Beverly added.

"You do?", Mulder asked.

"He works with Will. He's a well respected Psychiatrist here in Baltimore."

"So, he's a crackpot!", Mulder joked.

Beverly seemed amused as she stared at the two other agents. "Do you want his address and phone number?"

Mulder sighed."That _would_ be helpful."

Beverly with a sly smile answered. "Well, Jack is a regular guest at his home and Will is his patient. You could ask either of them, save yourself a few extra steps..."

Mulder rolled his eyes and stepped out into the hall.

Scully smiled a curt smile at Beverly and then joined her partner out in the hallway.

"Let's get out of here, Scully."

Mulder and Scully walked back down the steps. Will Graham spotted Mulder and Scully but his eyes wandered away from him. Scully noted that he was severely impaired though functioning, possibly Aspergers. He was unable to maintain eye contact for long and he seemed to distance himself from the others. But her attention returned to her partner and his needs.

Jack stood with his hands crossed. "Find anything? Perhaps she flew to that spot in the woods and lit the fire herself...drew WITCH into her own ashes. Perhaps she's appearing because it's almost Halloween! Is that a _reasonable_ hypothesis, Agent Mulder?"

Scully placed a hand on his arm and Mulder closed his mouth, tightly.

"Katie Williams was a patient of Dr. Lecter," Beverly said, standing on the steps behind them.

"Oh really?", Jack smiled, wickedly. "Well, tell Hannibal hello when you see him. And let him know we'll be there as soon as we wrap up here."

"Come on, Mulder," Scully said in a soft voice she knew Mulder responded to.

He glanced down and locked eyes with Scully and then walked on with Scully hot on his heels.

"Mulder!"

Mulder stopped mid-stride and turned to face Will Graham.

Scully looked at him with curiosity. It was unusual, she knew, for him to approach someone having the problems he had. He wasn't completely unsocial but he seemed uncomfortable around others enough that it was noticeable.

"Dr. Lecter isn't home right now," Will said, as he looked at Mulder's tie. "He's at _his _therapist."

"Dr. Lecter has a therapist?", Scully said, surprised.

"Psychiatrist often need to seek therapy," Mulder added, reminding Scully that Mulder was a Psychologist.

"What's his therapists' name?", Scully said, calmly so as to not startle Will Graham.

"Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier," Will answered, looking above her head staring at her red hair. He shoved a piece of paper into Scully's hand.

She looked at the paper and looked up and Will Graham was walking away. She opened the paper and noticed the address scribbled in what looked like chicken scratch. She looked back at Will as he disappeared into the home and Mulder tugged on her arm. She turned and walked with him to the car, heading to the residence of Dr. Du Maurier.

**Please Leave A Review: Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Burned At The Stake**

**Part 2**

**by**

**Trycee**

**Time-Line: Halloween Crossover story: X-Files/Hannibal. +Bump In The Night Halloween Crossover Challenge**

**Location: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.**

****Food descriptions come from Janice Poon, a food stylist for NBC Hannibal from her blog, "Feeding Hannibal"****

They pulled up to the unusual Frank Lloyd styled home belonging to Dr. Du Maurier and Scully followed behind Mulder. He knocked on the door and then glanced down at the beautiful face of his partner with her deep blue eyes and fiery red hair but she was busy staring at the intricate detail of the golden door. The door swung open and Mulder stepped back. A blonde haired woman with the same deep blue eyes as his partner stared back at him. They were the same height and looked like his partner, only a few years older, as if they were related. He shook his head and turned to look back at his partner who was staring at the woman but she hadn't reacted. Finally, Dr. Du Maurier's attention turned from the tall dark haired man in front of her to the woman who was of her equal height and looked very similar to herself, except younger. She wondered if they perhaps were related somehow.

"Can I help you?", she said, curiously.

"Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier?"

"Yes," she said, looking at the two, her eyes settling on Scully.

Scully's eyebrow raised but she remained quiet while Mulder did a double take.

Mulder still shaken up pulled out his badge as did Scully. "Agents Mulder and Scully, may we speak to you?"

"I'm in the middle of a session," she said, eying them suspiciously.

"With a Dr. Hannibal Lecter?", Scully finally spoke up.

"Is there a reason that you're intruding?", Bedelia asked as she stood in the doorway.

"If you let us in, we can discuss it,", Mulder said, slipping past her.

Scully and Bedelia eyed each other and Bedelia smiled widely. "Come in."

Scullys' eyebrow rose even higher as she entered the home along side Bedelia, walking through the foyer down the steps to where Hannibal was seated.

Hannibal Lecter was dressed in a tailored suit sipping on a glass of wine. When he saw the two agents he rose and shook their hands. "Agents."

His eyes lingered on a Scully a moment longer than was comfortable for Mulder.

Bedelia came up behind them and stood next to Hannibal. "Agents Mulder and Scully wanted to speak to you, Hannibal."

Mulder noticed the syrupy sweet voice of Bedelia as she stood in front of them. Mulder stared at the blond from the soft wave of her hair that wrapped around her beautiful face to the V-neck blouse that accentuated her breasts and yet covered them modestly. She was well-defined and dressed impeccably. She reminded him so much of his partner that it was uncanny. They were the same height, the same feminine shape and same blue eyes but this woman was a few years older than his partner and with striking golden blond hair, yet they could be twins. It was like someone had exposed him to one of his fantasies and presented it to him in the light of day. A fantasy of Scully dressed up in clothes that accentuated her lovely curves instead of hiding them but with an added bonus of blond hair and high heels. He was awe-struck.

She smiled at them both but there was something hidden within her smile, Mulder noticed.

He turned to look at his partner who stood a few steps behind him dressed in a black jacket, looking even smaller without her heels and what he saw in her eyes made his stomach turn. Scully wasn't focused on either of the two psychiatrists in front of her, especially Dr. Du Maurier who looked so similar to herself, if she'd noticed. Instead, she was staring at him. He saw something in Scully's eyes that he'd never saw before, hurt, sadness and defeat. Scully turned her gaze away from him and walked behind him over to his left, pretending to be looking around Dr. Du Maurier's home that doubled as her office.

Bedelia and Hannibal exchanged glances as they watched the two agents. Mulder turned his attention back to them both and his eyes settled on Dr. Hannibal Lecter who had a strange hidden smile on his lips which unnerved him.

"Dr. Lecter," Mulder began.

"Would you like a seat?", Bedelia said, catching Mulder off guard.

He stared at her a moment. "No thanks," and then turned his attention back to the strange man. "You have a patient, Katie Williams."

"Yes, she's my patient."

Scully walked up to Mulder's side. Mulder continued to question him. "Are you aware that your patient was found in the woods burned at the stake with the words WITCH written in her ashes? Only one arm and one leg remained visible," Mulder said, handing him a photo.

Dr. Lecter showed no reaction much to both Mulder and Scully's surprise. "She was fascinated with Witches since she was a child. She dabbled in Witchcraft as well," Hannibal said. "But, I'm afraid I can't divulge any more information."

"Your patient is dead!", Scully added. "I'm sure she won't mind!"

Hannibal smiled a slick smile and then turned to Bedelia who was watching Scully carefully. Scully glanced up to Mulder but his was staring at Bedelia and so she glanced back down to the floor, her heart heavy.

"She was obsessed with the Occult," Hannibal volunteered. "When Witchcraft wasn't enough for her she decided to turn to Satanism."

"So you prescribed her Clozapine?," Scully questioned. "For being fascinated with the Occult?"

"I'd be happy to go over my case notes with you back at my office," Hannibal said. "But, I'm afraid your wasting the time I have designated with my own psychiatrist," he said, glancing at Bedelia.

Bedelia nodded in his direction. "If you'll excuse us, we need to get back to the session. Both of our time is precious, Hannibal and I."

Mulder glanced down at Hannibal with his leg's crossed. "Do you believe in ghosts, Doctor?"

Hannibal smirked. "There are ghosts lingering in one's mind. In that way, yes, I believe," he said, eying Scully who was staring at Bedelia.

"Your patient, Katie William's has been reportedly seen appearing and then becoming engulfed in flames..."

Hannibal smiled. "Fools believe in anything."

Scully could tell from Mulder's posture that he was becoming incised. "We need to meet with you, today!"

"I'm afraid I have appointments," Hannibal said with a grin on his lips, fueling the tension between himself and Mulder.

"It's non-negotiable!", Mulder stated firmly.

"Perhaps over dinner. At my home," Hannibal smiled, trying to soften the air. "If my esteemed colleague would join me as well," he said, looking at Bedelia.

Mulder shot a look at Scully, confused and trying to transmit his thoughts to her the way they did but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

Bedelia looked uncomfortable as they waited for her answer. "Hannibal, as much as I would love to come, this goes beyond our professional relationship."

Hannibal seemed amused. "This is simply colleagues eating a meal."

Scully was watching Bedelia and could see the wheels in her mind turning. Bedelia raised her glass of wine to Hannibal. "A meal between colleagues."

Mulder looked again at the beautiful blonde. "Great," Mulder said.

Bedelia glanced over to Scully and their identical blue eyes stared into each others deep orbs. She picked up on Scully's reluctance and she knew why. She could see it in Scully's eyes just as she could see the longing in Hannibal's eyes for her. She glanced up at the tall handsome FBI agent and smiled but then looked at Hannibal who seemed to be watching her with Mulder.

"I'll bring the wine," Bedelia said, as she looked off from them.

Hannibal nodded. "Six o'clock. And be prepared for a fabulous meal," Hannibal said. "And we'll discuss the late Katie Williams. We'll consider it a working dinner."

Mulder agreed and with Bedelia leading the way to the door, both agents exited. Mulder looked once more at Bedelia and then walked behind Scully to the car.

"What the hell just happened, Scully?", Mulder asked.

"I'm not sure," she said, trying to swallow her pain.

"Scully," Mulder said, looking at her. "Is there French in your family too? I mean...Irish, I know...but French?"

"What kind of question is that?", Scully said, turning to glare at him.

Mulder shook his head. "It's just...you didn't see it?"

"See what?", she said.

"She looked just like you," Mulder said. "It's like an X-file in itself, Scully. Like it was you, twenty years from now only with blond hair."

"And large boobs, Mulder?", she said, betraying her cool exterior.

"Scully! I'm not that shallow."

"Sure your not," she said, trying to reel in her feelings.

"Is there something you want to say, Agent Scully?", Mulder said, as she buckled her seat belt.

"No, Mulder...let's go," she sighed.

"I'm just saying, like maybe we should investigated your doppelganger, instead..."

"Mulder, stop!", she said, rolling her eyes.

Mulder unsure of what he'd done wrong, turned the key and drove off, leaving Dr. Du Maurier's residence in the distance.

"Interesting, those two," Hannibal said, sipping on his glass of wine.

"Indeed," Bedelia smiled.

"The woman...she has physical traits that remind me of you."

Bedelia smirked. "She does."

"Could you explain why that is?"

Bedelia looked at her patient carefully. "For every person there are rumored to be seven identical doubles, Hannibal. I'm sure you're aware of that."

Hannibal was quiet, lost in thought. "Well, since our session was interrupted, I guess we'll have to continue this another time," he said, rising from his seat.

"You're patient, Hannibal?" Bedelia continued. "Katie Williams."

"Yes," Hannibal said, looking at her strangely.

"You never mentioned her."

Hannibal smiled down at Bedelia. "There was nothing to tell. She was a very sick woman. She stopped treatment."

"What was your diagnosis?", Bedelia said as she gazed up into his eyes.

"She was an undifferentiated type of schizophrenic obsessed with the fantasy of being a witch and possessing powers."

Bedelia sipped on her wine. "It's a shame," she said, studying Hannibal carefully. "That she was murdered."

Hannibal smirked and then smoothed his hand over his silver three piece suit. "Six o'clock."

"Promptly," Bedelia added. "With wine."

Hannibal nodded and then headed for the door to let himself out.

Mulder arrived at the crime scene which was cordoned off with yellow police tape. Mulder yanked the tape down and stepped onto the path that lead deeper into the woods. He could smell burnt flesh and burnt wood before he reached the clearing which still had Katie Williams ashes scattered amongst the dirt. Mulder looked around the area noticing the wood cut around the scorched area with branches still laying on the ground as if ready to add to the fire. "She was sacrificed, Scully."

Scully was surprised that Mulder even noticed she was there.

Mulder turned to look at her. "What's going on, Scully?"

"Nothing," she said, slapping on gloves and pretending to be investigating.

"You've been acting funny since Dr. Du Maurier's. Did it freak you out to see her?"

"Mulder," she said, shrugging. "Sure, it was strange to see someone that looked similar to myself even though she's older, closer to Bill's age than my own. That was a little unnerving."

"I thought so," Mulder said, as he bent down to study the wood left behind from the fire. "Is she a relative?"

"Mulder, of course not," she said, shaking her head. "It's not unusual within a population to have doubles or triples...after all, we are replicating the same gene pool over and over," she said, as Mulder grimaced.

"It's true," she continued. "After a few hundred years, your children have married my children and we're bound to have a population that look similar."

"Yeah but French."

"Maybe it was from marriage," Scully suggested. "She doesn't look French to me."

"She looked French to me!", Mulder said eagerly, as the memory of Bedelia flashed through his mind.

He turned and saw Scully with that look in her eyes again as she ducked her head down. "Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder?"

He stood up and touched her arm. "You think I'm attracted to her, don't you?"

Shocked, Scully stepped back. "It's not any of my business, Mulder."

"Cut the crap, Scully!"

"She is your type, Mulder."

"And what is that, Scully?", he said, in disbelief.

"Blond...beautiful...intelligent."

"Except for the blond part, you got it right," he said, dumbfounded.

Ignoring him she continued. "Brunette then, long legged, big boobs".

"Scully, if you hadn't noticed, she's closer to your height."

She noticed he didn't mention her boobs. "Why are you bringing this up here? At a crime scene, Mulder?", she said.

"I saw the look in you're eyes," he said.

Scully stared at him for a moment, their eyes locked onto one another. "What look is that?"

Mulder sighed. He wanted to tell her how he felt but this wasn't the time or the place. "It's not what you think, Scully. It's not."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Like I said, Mulder," she spoke in a small voice. "Not my concern."

Mulder watched as she retrieved an evidence bag from her pocket and began to scoop up the ashes to compare it with the sand from the footsteps.

Mulder knelt back down and then noticed something that had been overlooked by the forensics team, probably the team working with Jack Crawford and Will Graham. Mulder reached down deep into the sand underneath a layer of scorched wood with his gloved hands and lifted the silver Satanic Star on a necklace. He bagged it and shook his head.

"What did you find?"

"Satanic Star. Either it was her's or it was left here by the killer."

"But why? If she, like Dr. Lecter said, dabbled in the occult. Is it a large leap to go from witchcraft to satanism?"

"Well, she didn't set herself on fire, Scully. Someone murdered her. Someone wanted her dead."

"Sacrificing her, why?"

"That's the question, Scully."

"If she was a witch, Mulder, would she have been sacrificed by the satanist? Did someone have a grudge against witches?"

Mulder still kneeling glanced up and saw a woman standing by a tree at the edge of the scorched area. He stood up slowly, staring at the face of the victim visible to him as if she were still alive. She looked back at him, her dark hair blowing in the wind. And suddenly she was engulfed into flames, writhing in pain as Mulder rushed towards the tree to help her and then she vanished, just as witnesses had reported.

Scully watched him as he searched around the tree. "What are you doing?"

"I saw her!"

Scully looked around her. "Saw who?"

"Katie...The Witch, Scully!"

Scully placed her hands on her hips. "Mulder you just think you saw her because the mind is playing tricks on you..."

He grabbed her shoulders. "No, I saw her. Like you saw her footprints..."

"Well, did someone have a grudge against her? Perhaps for crossing over from a Witch to a Satanist? And Mulder...Do Satanist have powers?"

"Some evoke the power of Satan and the dark forces," he said.

"Which one walks the earth doing Halloween?", she joked.

Mulder shook his head. "Come on, Scully, be serious."

"Fine," she said, giggling. "Let's go talk to the Doctor..."

"Dr. Hannibal Lecter."

"Yeah...", Scully sighed. "A dinner date...", she smirked.

Mulder chuckled. "We've never investigated a case this way before..."

"Nope...unless you count the Kindred," she said, immediately regretting the memory.

She could see Mulder grow quiet and his eyes bulged as he stared at her. She touched his hand. "Come on, Mulder. Let's take this to the lab and then get scrubbed up for dinner..."

He looked down at himself and then back up at her. He was dressed in one of his black Armani suits and colorful tie. Somehow he had managed to stay clean the entire day.

"Let's go Mulder. We don't want to keep the good doctor waiting. We wouldn't want to be rude."

Mulder glanced around again at the area that had already been picked at and sighed. "Alright, Scully, let's go."

**Please Leave A Review: Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Burned At The Stake**

**Part 3**

**by**

**Trycee**

**Time-Line: Halloween Crossover story: X-Files/Hannibal. +Bump In The Night Halloween Crossover Challenge**

**Location: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.**

****Food descriptions come from Janice Poon, a food stylist for NBC Hannibal from her blog, "Feeding Hannibal"****

They were surprised at the table setting laid out by Hannibal. The long exquistie table with ten seatings was filled with exotic flowers and fruits cut into ornate displays. Scully glanced over to the Wall of Herbs, three deep pocketed long planters filled with fragrant herbs that nearly overwhelmed the senses. 'When does he find the time?', she wondered.

Scully was dressed in a black dress that feathered out at the waist showing her curves much to Mulder's surprise and reaching down past her knees giving him a view of her sexy toned legs. He was disappointed though that she had again worn black. She had been wearing black ever since Emily's death but he did note that she looked incredible in it. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. The dress dipped only slightly in the front giving Mulder a glimpse of her skin, and he had to remind his body not to react to what he was seeing from her. She had small diamond earrings in her ears and she wore a black jacket covering her arms. He knew her dress was one she wore as FBI attire but yet she looked both beautiful and elegant and he was proud to be her 'date' at this working dinner with Hannibal.

Mulder kept glancing in Scully's direction as Hannibal eagerly explained the painting above the fireplace and the animal tusks that framed it. Mulder's heart ached just looking at her. Her red hair was cropped short, laying close to her face and she looked both adorable and sexy at the same time. He wanted her so badly but he had to pretend that her every movement, sigh and gaze didn't affect him physically. Hannibal seated them together at his massive and lavishly decorated table. He added the flower's Mulder had crushed to his body as he stared at Scully, the ones they'd brought as a gift for Hannibal. Being a master host, Hannibal began to explain his grand decorations which neither Mulder nor Scully could tell if it were edible or for decoration.

He immediately began to pour some wine into their glasses. Scully slipped off the black jacket and Mulder gasped slightly. Her arms were bare and he could see Scully's delicate shoulders. Her dress was tied in the back exposing part of her back to him. She smiled shyly at him as he continued to stare. Hannibal watched them carefully, fully aware of the sexual tension between them.

And then from the kitchen, Bedelia du Maurier came out and smiled and Mulder's jaw nearly dropped. Scully turned to look at him and he had to turn his head to stop from staring at her. She was wearing a dark red Hippie Cowl Wrap Blouse that crisscrossed down to the nape of her breast yet shielding her breast from view and she wore a tight black skirt that stopped at the knee, her equally well toned legs were like eye-candy to Mulder. She glanced over to Hannibal and he seemed glued to her as well. She smirked as she glanced at Mulder trying to avoid her gaze and Scully who seemed irritated by it.

"Glad you could make it," she said. "I have to admit this is the first time I've ever been here myself."

"Really?", Scully said skeptically, glancing over at Hannibal who was watching the beautiful blond, a look of pure admiration on his face.

"Yes," she said, in her sugary voice with a hint of a British accent, despite the French name.

Scully turned to look at Mulder and he was staring back at her, his face reddened slightly but she connected with his eyes before glancing down bashfully. He placed a hand on her back searing the skin. This was the first time Mulder had ever touched her bare skin and she desperately fought to not tremble from the intensity of his touch. She glanced up into his eyes and he nodded to her, a sly smile on his face and then turned back to the two psychiatrist in front of them.

"We appreciate the invitation to this dinner, Dr. Lecter," Scully began.

"It's a passion of mine," he said, pouring Bedelia a glass. She sat directly across from Mulder but her attention was on Scully. She couldn't help noticing how similar her mannerisms were.

"I love to entertain. I'm passionate about having friends for dinner," Hannibal smirked. "It's what I live for."

Mulder looked at him intensely. There was something in Hannibal's smile and eyes that made him uncomfortable.

Scully content with Mulder's hand still on her back, continued. "We still would like your notes on Katie Williams."

Hannibal smiled. "Yes, of course. But certainly on a full stomach!", he said, dispensing charm.

Scully smiled back but shook her head slightly. She could tell that getting any information out of Hannibal would take awhile. Scully was enjoying seeing Mulder in one of his Armani suits with a turquoise shirt and black tie with what looked like crop circles but his glances at Dr. Du Maurier, only made her feel more insecure and hurt.

Within minutes, Hannibal had in front of them a plate with a salad that looked as if it might attack them, something neither Mulder nor Scully had ever seen. Though it was lovingly created by Hannibal who had an artists eye in creating the masterpieces. Scully could tell from Mulder's glances at her that he was thinking the same thing she was after all, they were used to roadside diner fare not majestic displays of artistry. It looked like a science experiment with a whole mini cabbage head on each individual plate with peacock feathers sticking out like knives, It had purple baby artichokes, sliced tomato and cucumbers cut into flowerettes. Hannibal drizzled a citrus salad dressing on top and explained each ingredient and invited his guest to enjoy.

Scully glanced at Bedelia's face and saw that she too was surprised at the strange pointy salad that resembled an array of knives jetting out but Bedelia removed the feathers and then picked up her salad fork and began to eat.

"Dig in!", Hannibal began. "This is the first of two courses."

Scully smiled meekly and shot a quick glance to Mulder. They also removed the feathers and then dug into their salads and were both surprised at the complexity of flavors. "Wow, incredible flavors!", Scully said.

"Thank You," Hannibal smiled. "It's a bitter orange dressing with sweet basil and a hint of cranberry."

"Delicious," Bedelia added.

"So," Mulder said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "What could you tell us about Katie Williams", he asked, jumping right into the questioning.

Hannibal glanced quickly over to Bedelia who returned his gaze before digging back into her salad.

"She had a diagnosis of what in clinical terms is called Lycanthropy or what's better known as _W__itches_ Lycanthropy."

"She thought she could shape shift," Mulder said.

Hannibal looked surprised. "Yes. She thought she possessed the ability to transform into a raven or a werewolf."

Bedelia looked concerned. "I've only read about cases like that. What an interesting case she must've been."

Hannibal seemed pleased with himself. "She'd been a practicing witch for many years. But, when off her medication she was harmful to herself and others. She had developed a tolerance to most medication. Clozapine was our only option to keep her functional."

Mulder nodded, waiting for him to get to the point but Hannibal was an eloquent story-teller and he was enjoying the company and the banter.

"What powers did she possess?", Mulder asked.

"She believed she had achieved a level of power but she wanted more powers. From what you tell me, with people seeing her, perhaps she achieved it," Hannibal stated. "But with me she was speaking of blood sacrifices."

"Did you think of committing her?", Scully asked.

"Agent Scully," Hannibal said, with his fork in the air.

"Dr. Scully," Scully corrected him.

Impressed Hannibal nodded. "Dr. Scully, it's interesting that you asked that," Hannibal stated. "I had begun the paperwork but then she stopped attending sessions."

"And you didn't follow up on her whereabouts?", Scully questioned.

Hannibal and Bedelia exchanged glances. Scully shot a look at Mulder and then her eyes settled back on the two psychiatrists that she felt were dishing out bits and pieces of information.

"We can't track down all of our patients," Bedelia explained, speaking in her slow, careful way. "We have patients that come once and then we never see them again. That's the industry we're in."

Scully watched the woman closely, noticing the way Bedelia guarded her words. Scully also noticed the distance Bedelia placed between herself and Hannibal, who seemed to want to impress her, leaving an empty chair between them. Scully turned to look at Mulder and he was staring directly at her not Bedelia, much to her surprise. She looked away and picked up her glass, sipping on it.

The doorbell rang and Hannibal looked amused. "Excuse me," he said, standing up from the table. Mulder smiled meekly at Bedelia as he played with the feather on the side of his plate.

Bedelia turned her attention back towards Scully. "Tell me, what area of medicine do you practice, Dr. Scully? And how do you use your skills as a doctor in the FBI?"

Scully sighed, choosing her words very carefully. "I am a licensed Forensic Pathologist and I also treat patients, whenever it's needed," she said, as she glanced over to Mulder. He smirked. "My FBI credentials give me a little more freedom than you're average physician."

Bedelia smiled. "Sounds like you have developed numerous skills in the FBI that will be invaluable to you one day if you decide to go into private practice."

Scully looked into the woman's identical blue eyes and she smiled. "Yes, I have. And might I ask, how many patients do you see?"

Bedelia smiled warmly back. "One. I have just the one."

Scully cocked her head to the side. Bedelia noticed the confused look on both Mulder and Scully's faces.

"I retired," she continued. "But, Hannibal is the reason I came out of my retirement but only for him, I'm afraid."

"And you had never worked with a patient with Lycanthropy?"

Bedelia's eyebrow raised and Mulder had to mentally check himself. She was NOT Scully.

"I'm curious," Bedelia said, avoiding the question, as she turned towards Mulder. "Why didn't you practice, Agent Mulder?", she asked in her syrupy sweet voice.

"Practice?", he said, surprised.

"You seem familiar with Lycanthropy," she said, sipping on her wine. "No interest in practicing?", she said picking up on Mulder's Psychologist background.

"I decided the FBI was my route," Mulder said, turning towards Scully. She sipped on her wine and her eyes were cast down and Mulder could tell she was uncomfortable with his one on one with Bedelia.

Scully could feel a burning in her chest as Mulder and Bedelia chatted with each other. She felt alone in a room full of people and what she wanted to do was cry. Here was a woman that was a few years older than herself, that looked similar to herself, and could even be mistaken for her older sister except for the blond hair. And here Mulder was staring into her eyes much like her own and it was sickening to her. Bedelia Du Maurier wasn't six feet tall like the past women in his life, she was around the same height as herself except they were both wearing heels. Scully felt like a woman who found her husband flirting with another woman in front of her and it made her want to throw up. Now she knew what Mulder must have felt like when he'd seen Eddie Van Blundht, as him, leaning over her inches from her lips on the couch.

"Ummm, Mulder!", she said, bringing his attention back to her.

Mulder looked into her eyes. His hand moved up from her back to her bare neck sending shivers down her spine. "Yes, Scully?"

She couldn't speak as his hand seared her flesh, awakening her entire body. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. He smiled at her and she glanced down shyly. She could still feel his eyes on her.

Bedelia was observing the interaction between the agents when Hannibal returned with a guest, Jack Crawford.

"Well, well, well...", Jack smiled. "If it isn't my old friend, Fox Mulder."

"I'm sorry, we have to go!", Mulder said, pushing his chair back and jumping up.

"So suddenly?", Hannibal said, looking offended. "I've served but one course."

"Mulder, did you find Katie's ghost yet?", Jack chuckled.

Mulder glared at Jack Crawford. "Mock me all you want but Scully and I are going to solve this case."

"I had a chat with A.D. Skinner," Jack said, looking from Mulder across the table and Scully who was still seated. "He wants you in his office first thing Monday morning...but he's willing to allow you to work on this case...as long as you don't interfere with my investigation."

"Why didn't he tell us that himself?", Mulder fumed.

"I told him I would," Jack said. "At dinner..."

Hannibal smiled at the tension between the two FBI agents.

"Well, dinner is over!", Mulder said, pushing in his chair.

"Mulder, you're not leaving on my account, are you?", Jack teased as he sat down next to Bedelia. "Surely, we could both be civil and sit at the table and enjoy each others company."

Scully reached up and placed a small hand on his arm, calming him. He looked down at his partner and nodded and then sat back down. Jack had noticed the intimate gesture between the partners. He'd heard rumors about them and now he was witnessing it for himself. It reminded him of the way Will Graham looked at Dr. Alana Bloom.

Hannibal set a place for Jack and he was pleased, giving him a new audience to showcase his culinary skills. Jack nodded acknowledging Bedelia as she sipped on her wine watching the chaos. She was fascinated with Scully's attention fully on her partner. She noticed Scully's moods would shift as his moods changed as if they were in sync. Bedelia smiled to herself as she sipped on her wine, it was obvious that they were in love with each other but hadn't expressed it yet.

"Did Mulder mention he's here investigating the after-life appearance of Katie Williams?", Jack asked.

"Yes," Hannibal answered. "It's an interesting concept. A murder victim appearing as she died. For what purpose? A reminder that she is a victim, perhaps?"

"It's our case and Mulder and his partner here, Dr. Scully...Agent Scully," he said, nodding in her direction. "Are here unofficially."

Mulder's fist tightened and Scully laid her hand again on his arm.

Hannibal smirked. "I wasn't aware of that."

Hannibal stared into Mulder's eyes. Mulder again felt uncomfortable. He turned his head, his jaw tight and his eyes bulging, glaring at Jack. Scully was sure she could see smoke coming out of his ears."I hadn't had the time to explain that, Jack!"

"Well now that we're all here, we can discuss the details together," Jack said, digging into his salad. "Umm, exquisite."

"Thank You," he said, as Jack savored every mouthful. "Tell me," Hannibal questioned. "You said she was found in the woods, scorched with one leg and one arm left visible, is that correct?", he asked, Mulder.

Bedelia laid her fork down. It wasn't normal dinner-time fare but Hannibal and the other's didn't seem to mind.

Mulder smoothed his palms on his pants. "That's right."

"A fire was built up and she was tied down and after she was burned, the killer wrote WITCH in her ashes," Jack said, staring at Mulder. "This was the killer's first murder. No other crimes like this existed here since the Puritans who had witch trials here in Maryland as well as Massachusetts. But, we'll solve it, thanks to Will Graham," he said, goading Mulder.

Scully quickly laid a hand on Mulder's arm. "Mulder," she said, in a soft voice.

Mulder could feel her voice penetrating his brain and his body. He knew that Scully was fully aware of the way he reacted to just the sound of her voice. He sighed. "Did she have any enemies? Where did she practice witchcraft?"

"There's a group of witches here in Baltimore not recognized by the Wiccan's and Pagans who practice a peaceful religion. This group practices black magic," Hannibal continued. "They call themselves Dark Moon. She frequented the group but became dismayed when they're powers were weak, as she described it. She thought dealing with the devil would help her achieve the amount of powers she wanted."

"We checked them, the Dark Moon group. No one remembered her," Jack answered.

"Where are they located?", Scully asked.

Jack sipped on his wine and smiled. "Near the University of Maryland...the Baltimore campus not College Park. Dark Moon is located in a place called, Pig-Town."

Mulder looked at Scully and they both stood up, excusing themselves. Bedelia nodded towards them both as she brought her wine glass up to her lips. Hannibal stood up and escorted them towards the door. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay."

"The dinner was delicious," Scully smiled. "But we need to get back to work."

Hannibal nodded. "Well, I hope to have you both for dinner again before you leave," he said, kissing Scully's hand.

"It's a promise," she smiled.

Mulder shook Hannibal's hand and he had a strange feeling run through him.

Hannibal returned with the others and then removed their salads and walked into the kitchen and plated up the second course, a meat course. He sat down and Bedelia smiled her appreciation. "You out did yourself, Hannibal."

"Let me guess," Jack said. "Roasted lamb, am I correct?"

Hannibal was amused. "Roasted veal stuffed with spinach and mushrooms served with an apple wedge, and french beans with Gorgonzola."

"Ummm," Jack said, savoring his food. "You are a master cook!"

"I must agree, Hannibal," Bedelia said, slyly.

Hannibal nodded in her direction. "So," Hannibal said, turning to Jack. "In what way do you know, Agent Mulder?"

"He worked in my division," Jack said. "He was a brilliant profiler...he still is. He just decided to blow his career on chasing after little green men."

"And Dr. Scully?", Bedelia said, turning towards Jack.

"She is a brilliant physician. She taught at the Academy, much as Will does. She was assigned to debunk him but instead..."

"Fell in love with him, perhaps?", Bedelia answered.

Jack looked at her hard. "There's rumor's to that effect. But, that isn't my problem. My problem is Mulder getting in the way of our investigation with his ridiculous '_ghost witch theory_'. I don't want him trivializing it with some theory fit for Halloween! I want a serious investigation here."

Hannibal carved into his 'veal'."What did Will find?"

"Will thinks the killer was offended by our victim, Katie Williams. He feels the killer sees her as a fraud, a wannabe."

Hannibal looked impressed. "Who do you think will solve the crime, Will or Mulder?"

Jack chuckled. "Mulder was Will a few years back," he said, looking Hannibal in the eye. "But, that's before he chose to believe in extraterrestrials. My bet is on Will."

Bedelia kept her opinion to herself but her bet was on Mulder.

Scully glanced at herself in the mirror one last time before she'd take off the dress, shower and change into something more comfortable. She had never before been self-conscious but there was something about seeing Bedelia and Mulder's reaction to her that made her quite self-conscious.

Mulder walked through the door separating their adjoined rooms with a burger in one hand and whistled. "Did I mention, you looked good enough to eat tonight, Scully, I had to tell you that," he said, with a grin.

"_Apparently, not!_", she mumbled under her breath.

"What?", Mulder said, turning her shoulder so she stood directly in front of him. "What did you mean, apparently not?"

Her cheeks colored bright red. "Mulder...It's...Nothing...", she said, stepping away from him but Mulder sat his burger down and then turned her back towards him, holding her with both hands in place. "Scully!"

She looked up into his eyes. "Nothing... ", she said, with reddened cheeks.

"You still think I'm attracted to her, don't you?"

She crossed her arms in front of her defensively. "Why are you asking me that? Why should I care who you're attracted too?"

"Because you care!", he said, looking deeply into her oceanic eyes. He could tell that she was trying hard not to show her emotions but he was going to force it out of her.

"I don't care!", she lied.

"Scully, you do!"

"You're acting like I'm some jealous," she sighed heavily. "Some jealous woman!", she said, turning her face away from him.

Mulder lifted her chin so she was looking him directly in his swimming hazel eyes. "You want to know what I saw when I looked at her?"

"NO!", she said. "Not particularly."

"I saw you! I saw you in a few years and let me tell you, Scully, you are still a gorgeous woman."

Scully shook her head, her eyes narrowing and she stepped away from him. "I don't know what to say to that."

Mulder looked confused. "You don't understand. I think you look beautiful now and I think she looks like what you're going to look like in a few years and I like it."

"So you were ogling her!"

"No...I was...no!", he said, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm not explaining myself. It would be like if you saw an older version of me...and I still looked handsome as I do now," he smirked. "Wouldn't you look?"

"Mulder...what are you saying? Do you want me to say I would be attracted to an older version of you?"

"Well...wouldn't you?"

She shook her head. "Are you making fun of me for having dated older men?"

"NO!", he said, grabbing his head. "This is going all wrong. Look...I'm saying that we have an unspoken attraction to one another...tell me I'm wrong?"

She looked at him and then looked down at her feet.

He grabbed her arms to steady her and himself."Scully, you are the one I care about. I thought she was pretty because she looked like you!", he said, desperately. "You are the one I want...Don't you know that by now?"

Scully looked up into his eyes then. "Mulder, did you just say what I think you said?"

"Yes, I did," he said. "And I know you feel the same way," he said. "Even though you won't admit it."

She nodded her head and then looked back at the floor.

"I'm sorry if I make you feel like you aren't the center of my world, Scully, because you are!," he said, letting her arms go. "I promise to work on that. So that you know just how beautiful you are to me," he said, turning and walking back into his hotel room, leaving her alone.

She sighed and then sat down on the edge of her bed. Her heart was happy and the tears she was holding began to fall, a mixture of emotions. She was happy but she still did not want to feel like she had to compete for his attention and he would have to work on that. She felt good that he was at least willing to try.

**Please Leave A Review: Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Burned At The Stake**

**Part 4**

**by**

**Trycee**

**Time-Line: Halloween Crossover story: X-Files/Hannibal. Location: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.**

****Food descriptions come from Janice Poon, a food stylist for NBC Hannibal from her blog, "Feeding Hannibal"****

The morning came and Scully jumped out of bed but there were footprints at her bedside as if Katie had been standing beside her watching her sleep. "MULDER!", she screamed.

Mulder raced into her room and stared down at the footprints made out ashes. "She was here...last night."

"Why is she following me?", she said, frightened.

He was bare chested and wearing only his boxers and he leaned down and cradled Scully in his arms. She was wearing a silk top with spaghetti straps and no bra and silk matching shorts. Mulder was enjoying holding her a little too much, she noticed as she glanced up at him and noticed the slight smile on his face. She pulled back and looked down at the ashy foot prints. "I guess we better go find her killer."

Mulder and Scully headed out to locate Dark Moon, a group of witches in the Baltimore area who practiced the dark arts of black magic. Mulder knew that Jack Crawford had already investigated the group but it hadn't been investigated by him. Mulder solved cases in a way that had earned him the name, _Spooky_. He was sure the reason that Katie William's kept appearing was because her murder was unsolved and that she would continue to appear until her murderer was captured.

Dark Moon's headquarters was in a home on Baltimore's Pig town not far from the University of Maryland where Scully attended. She was familiar with the streets of Pig town as they drove through until they came to a row of a brick houses on a quiet street and parked in front it.

"Pig town?", Mulder questioned, knowing that Scully would probably know the history, since she attended college there.

Scully chuckled. "They used to have pigs arriving off the railways going to slaughter here. You should see it Mulder, they have a Pig town Festival every year where they race piggies for fun. My friend and I went one year when we had nothing else to do in between our classes."

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Come on, Scully...let's see if we can find out who killed Katie."

They stepped out and walked up to the wooden door with a painted half moon blackened in, a symbol of the group. Mulder knocked three times before the door swung open. A man with several tattoos of pentagrams opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Mulder and Scully both flashed their badges. "Agents Mulder and Scully of the FBI. Is this the headquarters of the Dark Moon?"

"I talked to FBI already,"he said, looking annoyed, pulling out a card from his pants pocket. "Jack Crawford and some other nerdy looking guy."

"Yes, but not by us."

The man looked at Scully and then at Mulder. "Come in,"he said, turning to walk back into the small living room.

Several couches were lined around the square room with posters of witches and various images that crowded the limited space of the walls. An entire wall was filled with black candles, potions and other items with price tags on them along with instructions on how to use them. A back door could be seen with rows of shelves filled with more merchandise and ritual items for their ceremonies.

"What is your name?", Mulder questioned.

"I'm Lycaon Corvus," he answered. "Better known as the Leader of this Coven."

"Lycaon Corvus?", Mulder questioned. "That's your real name?"

"It's my Witch name, a name of power. Yes, my Witch name," he said, as Mulder rolled his eyes. "I'm a male witch and I had it legally changed, so yes."

Mulder's face twisted up. He pulled out a photo of Katie Williams. "Do you know this woman?"

Lycaon's eyes blinked rapidly and then he turned towards Mulder. "No, I never saw her."

Mulder smirked. "Ly-na-can or whatever you said it is. You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?"

Lycaon chuckled but Mulder slammed him up against the wall. "Look, Pal, I know you're lying!"

"MULDER!", Scully said, shocked at his behavior.

"Tell me the truth! Did you know her!", he said, still gripping the man.

"Okay, Okay, let me go!", the guy said.

Mulder slowly released him. And then placed the photo back into his face. "Did you know her?"

"Yeah, I knew her!", Lycaon confessed. "She was this dippy chick that was like crazed man. She was nuts. I mean we get a few psycho's once in a while...but this chick, she was seriously out there!"

"In what way?", Mulder questioned.

"I mean, we practice black magic. We're not those hippie pagan's who believe in goddesses or stuff like that who call themselves witches when they're really just some New Age wannabe's! We try to distance ourselves from them, ya know. We practice the True Faith."

"And what is that?", Mulder said, looking at his tattoos that dotted his entire arms.

"Those pseudo witches are what we call White magic and we're Black magic. We possess actual powers. With it comes the responsibility to block spirits and other witches from using your abilities and causing you harm."

"Sounds like paranoia," Mulder huffed.

Lycaon shook his head. "You have to protect yourself from the dark world and others causing you harm. But you're also able to cause harm to them."

"So tell me about Katie."

He looked at the photo and shook his head. "She seemed okay for a long time but then she starting freaking out cause she was off her meds or something. She started saying she wanted to be like the devil. She needed more power. She bought every black candle and potion we had in this place!"

"That's funny," Scully said. "We never found a single candle or anything like that at her residence."

Lycaon looked confused. "Well...anyway, she thought it wasn't working. Like our magic was weak and so she started talking about stuff that was darker..."

"Like what?", Mulder questioned.

"Like summoning the devil and stuff like that," he said, nervously. "Look we're not Satanist. I don't fuck with that shit! Oh...'scuse my language," he said, looking at Scully.

She nodded.

"Katie started acting crazy talking about being one with the devil, ya know. She started chanting and saying she was summoning up the devil when we were practicing our magic. It spooked the hell outta all of us. We had to do a circle of protection against her cause we thought an evil spirit had possessed her or something. She kept on and so I kicked her out of the group."

"When was that?", Scully asked.

"Like two months ago."

"And you had no further contact with her."

Mulder could see he was nervous and hiding something. "What is it?"

"She like showed up here last night when we were having a meeting. She just appeared and then burst into flames. Everyone ran out of here, man. It was freaky! She disappeared. We figured she'd gotten that higher magic she was looking for," he said, shaking as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"You weren't aware that she was dead?", Scully asked.

Lycaon looked confused. "Dead? She was just here last night."

"She's been dead three days now," Scully answered.

Lycaon puffed harder on his cigarette. "I need to consult with my spiritual adviser on how to protect us from her evil presence," he said, nervously. "I don't know every loon that comes here. Only serious witches need show up here at Dark Moon, ya know. I didn't realize she really did have some serious magic," he said, sighing harshly.

Mulder could tell that he was frightened, very frightened.

Mulder turned to Scully. "Let's go..."

She followed him out into the street. He looked disappointed. "Mulder?"

"He's telling the truth," he said.

"So what do we do now?", Scully asked. "Look for a bunch of Satanist?"

Mulder looked at her for a long moment and then rounded the car. Scully got back into the car and Mulder pulled off, a look of determination on his face. After an hour, Mulder and Scully pulled up to a home that caused Scully to immediately grab her cross necklace and say a few prayers. On the door was the Satanic Star, the goat in a pentagram that they'd found beneath Katie Williams bed.

"Church of Satan, Mulder?", Scully said, looking fearful.

"Come on, Scully. You don't believe in this, remember!", he said, stepping out and slamming the door.

She straightened up and got out and followed behind him. After a few knocks on the door, a tall man with long black hair and a goatee answered the door. "Can I help you?"

Mulder flashed his badge. "FBI, may we speak to you?"

"You're welcome in my lair," he said, moving out of the way.

On the walls were images of naked women engaged in provocative sex scenes and paintings of what Mulder assumed were High Priests of the Church of Satan dotting the walls. On one wall was the goat symbol and Scully immediately had chills run down her spine much to the delight of the man watching her. "There's nothing to fear here," he smiled. "We believe in acceptance of your physical desires," he said, winking in her direction.

Mulder stepped in front of her, blocking his view of Scully.

She cleared her throat and took on an authoritative tone. "What is your name, sir?"

Mulder stepped back out of the way.

"Jacob Hensley, A priest here at the Church of Satan."

She pulled out a photo and handed it to him."We're here to see if you can identify someone."

Mulder watched him closely. Jacob studied the photo for a long moment.

"Not that I can recall.," he answered. "But we get so many that are curious about us."

"She was burned a stake with the words WITCH written in her ashes," Mulder said, looking him in the eye. "Only one arm and one leg remain."

Jacob Hensley looked amused.

"IS something FUNNY to You?", Mulder screamed.

"It sounds like revenge...", Jacob answered. "And Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek in our religion, Agents!"

A woman appeared in the back dressed in leather clad clothing with her breasts exposed. Scully gave a side glance to Mulder but he was looking off at the wall, true to his word. Jacob noticed their discomfort and motioned for the woman to put on a top. She slipped on a black shirt and Mulder turned back towards them both.

"What's going on in here?", the woman asked.

"Are you Mrs. Hensley?"

The woman chuckled. "I'm one of his ladies, yes."

Mulder showed her the photo. "Have you seen this woman."

"Yes...she was here last night. We were having a meeting. We don't have services but we have meetings and she was there. She left a mess, I looked up and she was gone but there were ashes where she'd been. Pissed me off."

"Did you know her?", Scully wondered.

"Yeah, she was Rob's girl," she said, looking at Jacob as if to jog his memory.

"Rob?", Scully asked.

"That's right," the woman answered. "Why? Did something happen."

"She was murdered. Burned at the stake."

The woman glanced at Jacob. "She was destroyed."

Mulder was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"She must've done something to someone...and they destroyed her!", the woman added.

"Were you aware that she died three days ago?"

The woman and Jacob both looked sickly. "Seriously?", the woman said. "You mean...that was like what...her spirit or something here last night?", she said, staring into Jacob's eyes.

Jacob looked even more frightened than she did.

"Where is this Rob guy you're speaking of?", Scully asked.

They looked at each other and the woman quickly grabbed a piece of paper and gave them the address. "I'm shocked!", the woman said. "I thought this was just sex orgies and stuff like that," she said, running off to the back.

Jacob shook his head and then turned back to the agents. "Rob Harris lives the principles of Satan. He believes in it with his whole heart."

Scully was gripping her cross and Jacob noticed and began to laugh. "Don't worry, we're not going to harm you. We promise! As for Katie...damn...that's some freaky shit."

Mulder nodded and then placed his hand on his spot and guided Scully out of the Lair. She shook from head to toe and he placed two warm arms around her. "You okay?"

"Yeah...", she said, enjoying the warmth of being surrounded by Mulder's massive arms. "I'm okay."

"You know, Scully, tomorrow's Halloween. I wonder if Katie will disappear after Halloween or continue to be seen. Perhaps this Rob guy will help us finally solve her murder so we can give her some peace."

She glanced back at the home with the large Church of Satan symbol and she cringed. "Yeah Mulder. Let's find this Rob guy. I just hope he isn't as creepy as the rest of these people."

Mulder glanced down at her. "Honestly, Scully, Me too."

Mulder and Scully pulled up to the home of Rob Harris and they were struck at how ordinary it seemed from the outside. There were no pentagrams they could see or anything that would give it away that he was a member of the Church of Satan. When they rang the doorbell, a man with brown hair and red eyes and sloped baggy eyes opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Agents Mulder and Scully," Mulder said. "We're here to investigate the death of your girlfriend, Katie Williams."

Rob Harris' eyes were dashing around as if he were unsettled. "Come in," he said.

Mulder walked in followed by Scully and they were seated on his sofa. Again they looked around and there were no signs of anything that showed he was a member of that church. He sat down in a chair across from them.

"You were Katie William's boyfriend?", Scully said. "No one knew she had a boyfriend."

"Who told you I was Katie's boyfriend?", he said, looking upset.

Scully cocked her head. "We were just at the Church of Satan."

Rob tapped his finger on the edge of a glass of whiskey. His eyes darted to the corners of the room as if he were afraid of something or someone.

Scully shot a look at Mulder and they both turned towards Rob.

"I'm not a member any more. I got rid of all my stuff."

"Why is that?", Scully questioned.

"I was a raised a Catholic," he said, glancing at her necklace. "Like you. I went back to church two days ago. I'm thinking of even becoming a priest," he said, in a shrill voice. "Renouncing sex and giving up all my worldly possessions."

"Why the sudden change?", Mulder said.

Rob again scanned the corners and then turned his attention to the agents. "I just felt that the whole self indulgence thing that the Church of Satan teaches was too much for me, ya know."

"Like the tenet about revenge?", Mulder said, watching him carefully.

Rob stared at Mulder for a long time and then swallowed hard. "Yeah, revenge."

Mulder sat up, his hand touching his gun."What did she do for you to kill her?", Mulder asked.

Rob looked down at his lap and then up at Mulder. "The church teaches you to destroy at all cost those that have angered you. She was off her meds. She wasn't really my girlfriend. She was just one of my girls..."

Scully cleared her throat and Rob continued. "She was one of my pleasures of the flesh. She was a great lay," he said. "When she wasn't trying to summon up the devil."

Mulder glanced over to Scully. She was shaking her head.

"But," Rob continued. "She started acting crazy and she wasn't dedicated like I was to Satanism. She was in it because she thought I could give her some powers like transfer powers or some bullshit. That was all that crazy witch talk she learned at Dark Moon...not what I believed in. She thought being a Satanist would give her some powers to make her a God on Earth or some crazy shit. Then I couldn't take it any more. She tried summoning up the devil and she started saying I was a fake! Like I didn't really believe or some shit. She said, if I truly believed, I'd talk to the devil and he'd make her powerful! And she started getting on my nerves and she was screaming and acting crazy and I couldn't take it any more. I told her to shut up and she wouldn't and so I strangled her," he said, glancing around the room."I shut her up!", he laughed nervously.

"Then I took her out to the woods and I burned her at the stake and I watched her burn. And then I wrote WITCH in her ashes," he said, as tears ran down his cheeks.

"I snatched her necklace off that I gave her and I tossed it in the remaining fire cause she didn't deserve it. She wasn't one of us. Then I drove to her house and cleared out all of her candles and stuff...cause I thought she didn't deserve it," he said, wiping his nose as tears poured down his face.

"But what you didn't know is that she had scratched a Satanic Star beneath her bed," Mulder said.

Rob's eyes bulged for a second but then he continued on. "I see her! She keeps showing up in my living room or when I'm trying to sleep and I see her and she bursts into flames! I see her burning all over again! Damn witches!", he said, downing his whiskey.

"She's haunting me!" he said, shaking. "I freaked out and I took all my stuff and I threw it away. I got rid of it and ran to the first Catholic priest I could find. I confessed my sins. But, I'm still a murderer," he said, staring at both agents. "She won't let me forget what I did to her. Only god can forgive me! GOD PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

Mulder stood up. "Let's call the local P.D.,Scully. We're done here."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Burned At The Stake**

**Part 5**

**by**

**Trycee**

**Time-Line: Halloween Crossover story: X-Files/Hannibal. Location: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.**

****Food descriptions come from Janice Poon, a food stylist for NBC Hannibal from her blog, "Feeding Hannibal"****

Jack Crawford and Will Graham arrived at Rob Harris' residence just as Mulder and Scully were wrapping up things up with the local P.D. who had Rob Harris restrained in handcuffs.

"Well...I underestimated you," Jack smirked. "You did solve this crime."

"Yeah," Mulder said. "Nothing a little hard work and intuition couldn't do...huh Will?"

Will smiled. "Mulder, you're forgetting that we're on the same team."

Mulder scoffed and then placed his hand on the nape of Scully's back. "We're our own team!", he said, leading Scully away.

Mulder pulled off and he winked at Scully. She smiled in his direction and then placed a hand on his arm. He turned slowly and looked at her and then pulled the car over.

"Mulder?", she said, looking around. "What's wrong?"

He placed both of his hands on her head, locking her in place and then leaned in and planting a firm kiss on her lips, surprising her. She smiled against his soft lips and then returned the kiss, deepening it, slipping her tongue in his mouth as they both moaned. After a few minutes they broke away and stared into each others eyes. Scully knew immediately that the waiting between them was now over.

The morning sun filtered through the hotel shades and Mulder sighed as he smoothed his fingers through Scully's red hair as she lay on his bare chest. She glanced up at him with a smile on her lips. "Happy Halloween, Mulder."

"Happy Halloween," he smiled before pulling her up to his lips.

"What would you like this morning to eat?"

"Hmmm," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and Scully blushed.

"I mean...for breakfast."

"Well," he said, disappointed. "We have to get ready to drive back but we could always take our time. Skinner isn't expecting to chew us out until Monday morning."

"Yeah, I got a few phone calls from him by the way," she said, as she nibbled the soft skin of his neck.

"OH!", he yelped as his entire body came alive.

"Lots of screaming...lot's of threats."

"Yeah, what's new!", he said, bringing her lips back to his mouth.

They're tongues dipped into the moistness of each other's mouths and after a long moment, he pulled away and smiled as he gazed into her eyes that were bright, happy and sparkling. He'd never seen her so beautiful as she lay naked on top of him with the blanket covering her bottom half as his hands warmed her back. "He said if we're not in his office Monday morning, Mulder, don't bother coming back."

"Of course he did!", he said, as she licked his cheek. "Scully, umm, you drive me crazy!"

Mulder's cellphone rang and Scully's head draped down, disappointed, to his shoulder. He sighed and then answered the phone. "Mulder!"

"Agent Mulder!", the voice said. "I was hoping you and your partner were still in town."

Mulder recognized the slick banter of Hannibal. "We are actually. We're packing up and heading out soon."

"Are you in a rush to get back to D.C?"

Scully lifted up and looked into his eyes.

"Not really...It's Halloween, we do have a report to write."

"On Halloween?", Hannibal questioned.

Mulder could see the wide smile on Scully's face as she tried hard not to laugh. Halloween, New Year's, it never mattered to Mulder, they were always stuck in the office doing paperwork or sloshing in a wet field during those times. It was only a holiday to other people.

"We're FBI, sir."

"I wanted to invite you and Dr. Scully back for dinner before you leave town. You had to leave so suddenly the last time."

Mulder hesitated.

"I promise, no surprise guests...except Dr. Du Maurier. She's fond of you both and willing to grace me with her presence tonight for dinner in my home again."

"We'd love too," Mulder lied.

"Six pm. No need for gifts, you're not guests. You're friends."

"We'll be there."

"Great," Hannibal said. "I look forward to having you for dinner."

Mulder cocked his head and then listened as the phone went dead. He hung up and Scully noticed the intense look on his face.

"Are you worried about seeing her again?", she questioned.

Mulder kissed her deeply. "No, Scully. I loved you before I knew you had a dopplegander out there."

"Mulder, we don't look that much alike!", she said, rolling her eyes.

Mulder raised his eyebrows, unbelieving. "Anyway, we love each other and what we have together, that's all I've ever wanted and all I've ever needed."

She smiled and kissed him again. "Then what is it?", she said, scanning his face. "What are you worried about?"

"There's something about them both...", he said, looking off at the ceiling. "There's something strange about them...I can't put my finger on it."

"You're paranoid, Mulder."

"Maybe," he said, as his hands lowered and lifted her back up towards his lips. "Come here Scully, let's finish what we'd started..."

Mulder and Scully were both dressed in their normal FBI attire. Scully wore her dark black slacks and a reasonable blue top with a black jacket and Mulder wore a black suit with a white shirt and black tie decorated with alien heads. They shook Hannibal's hand and he escorted them again to the lavish table setting. They sat down across from Bedelia who raised her wine glass to them.

"Good job with solving the case," she smiled.

"Thank You," Scully answered. "Mulder has a knack for being able to solve the unsolvable."

Hannibal smirked. "Really? Is that so? Is that why Jack seemed so angered that you left to pursue your own interests?"

Mulder looked curiously at Hannibal who had a devilish grin on his face. Mulder glanced at Bedelia and then back to Hannibal. "He has Will now."

"Yet you solved the case first," Hannibal said. "Perhaps because you have less psychological disturbances."

Mulder nodded but his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps."

Hannibal smirked and walked back into the kitchen leaving Scully and Mulder alone with Bedelia.

"I sense there was a childhood trauma in your past," Bedelia said directly Mulder. "It drives you in your work."

Mulder glanced over to Scully. He knew Scully was watching him closely and so he reached out his hand and held hers communicating to her without words that she had nothing to worry about, He was forever cured of his wondering eye. He turned back to Bedelia. "Don't we all?", he said, looking directly at her.

She smiled and then turned her attention over to Scully and for a moment they held each other's gaze.. "Dr. Scully, with your work in the X-Files, are you sent often to Baltimore? Have you seen much of the sights here?"

"I graduated from the University of Maryland and attended medical school here. I'm from Annapolis."

"Oh really?", Bedelia said delighted. "Yet, I detect a west coast accent that surfaces at times, am I right, Dr. Scully?"

Scully was impressed. "San Diego...my parent's moved there and that's where I went to high school but we moved back here for college."

Bedelia nodded. "So the FBI must suit you both," she said, noticing Mulder's hand still on top of Scully's. "If not, you wouldn't have found one another."

Scully glanced up at Mulder and he looked deeply into her eyes and she blushed, turning away from him.

Hannibal returned with three plates. He carried them all on his sleeve protected by a white linen cloth. On a bed of purple asparagus and sage were mini pies with three whole sturgeon peeking out from the crust. The head, eyes and all, and fishtail of the fish were protruding out as if they were jumping out of the delicate crust. Hannibal explained that it was a Russian dish called Zakuski filled with various grades of caviar, smoked imported fish, gourmet cheeses, and headcheese, along with wild mushrooms and cooked until the skin, heads and eyes of the fish were golden.

Bedelia smiled but Scully could tell that she was as shocked at they were at the sight of the protruding fish from their meal. Hannibal returned with his own plate and a bottle of Russian vodka and poured it into long glasses for them each. "Enjoy."

Mulder was the first to cut through the maze of crust trying to avoid the fish. Scully too began to eat her food, taking tiny bites. Mulder swallowed it down, trying not to offend Hannibal whom he could see loved to cook elaborate meals but he'd much rather have a hamburger. Bedelia, like Scully, took small bites and sipped on her vodka between bites of the unusual fare.

"You're a masterful cook, Hannibal," she said, complimenting him. "You're meals are as unique and complex as you are."

Hannibal was pleased. "I assumed no one was a vegetarian, you left the last time so soon."

Scully smiled. "No, we eat meat."

"Meat, should always be killed with mercy," Hannibal informed them. "The animal should be put out of it's misery immediately or else you can taste the stress of that animal in every bite."

"You can?", Mulder said, looking curiously at Hannibal.

"Oh yes," Hannibal answered, pleased and amused. "Fear remains in the meat or in this case...the fish. When one slaughters an animal, any animal, they should be sure to kill the animal swiftly so as not to waste perfectly edible meat."

Mulder was getting that feeling again about Hannibal as Hannibal smirked and held out his hand towards Mulder. "Eat! Don't let this sacrifice go to waste."

Mulder cocked his head to the side and then glanced from Hannibal to Bedelia. She had turned to Hannibal exchanging a glance between them. Mulder could feel Scully's watching him and so he dug back into his meal, trying hard not to upset their host or upset Scully.

After they'd eaten a fair amount, Hannibal served a dessert he explained was Coeur de la Creme, a white cream shaped like a heart swimming in a raspberry coulis that reminded Scully of blood from her autopsies. She dipped her spoon in the red liquid and then tasted it and her eyes grew wide. "This is incredible."

"It's a very delicate dessert," Hannibal answered. "The key is to have fresh raspberries, even if they have to be flown in."

He turned his attention to Mulder. "So, will you go back to D.C. and investigate UFO's?"

Mulder eyed Hannibal carefully. "We investigate more than that."

"Well, you certainly solved this case," Hannibal smiled. "As Katie's therapist, I have to say, thank you. It would've haunted me to think that her killer was running free."

The strange vibe Mulder was picking up from both Bedelia and Hannibal, especially Hannibal was eating at him. There was something about him that if he'd had the time, he was sure he'd figure out what it was about Hannibal that bothered him.

"Well, thank you for inviting us over," Scully added. "It would've been another Halloween with Mulder in the basement, filing our report on Katie Williams."

"Well, I hope we at least made this Halloween a memorable one."

"Certainly," Mulder said. "Yes, thanks for dinner."

"Don't be a stranger!", Bedelia said with a slight English accent. "Next time you are in Baltimore, please, stop by either to visit me at my home or to visit Hannibal."

Hannibal nodded his agreement.

"We will, thank you. Sorry we can't stay...we have to drive back to D.C.," Scully explained.

"It was a pleasure to have you both for dinner," Hannibal smiled, as he escorted them to the door. "Have a safe trip."

Mulder turned and shook his hand, staring deep into Hannibal's eyes. "I'll see you again. Soon, I'm sure," he said.

Hannibal smirked. "I'm sure you will, Agent Mulder."

Hannibal kissed Scully's hand and closed the door as they walked away.

Hannibal walked back into his kitchen. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out two case files of his patients, Katie Williams and Rob Harris. Bedelia watched him from the door as he lit the files and then tossed them into his sink.

"Burning evidence, Hannibal?", she questioned.

"Protecting my patients, Dr. Du Maurier," he said as the papers erupted into flames. He watched them fizzle out. "Now, I have nothing to hide."

She stared hard at him. "Not any more."

As Mulder hit the highway, he was unusually quiet, Scully noticed. "What's wrong, Mulder?"

He glanced at her. "I got several funny vibes from them again."

"You did?", she said, surprised. "Like what?"

"I dunno, Scully. The things he said...the food."

"That was bizarre," she said. "Delicious."

Mulder grimaced. "Well," she said. "Not that fish pie thing. There eyes kept staring at me. But the dessert was good even though it looked like a human heart floating in blood."

"Exactly!", Mulder said. "That's what I mean. Something isn't right about him. I'm sure if I had more time, I'd figure it out."

She grabbed Mulder's right hand and held it. "I'm sure you would, Mulder. I have faith in you, always."

He winked at her and she let go of his hand and he returned it to the steering wheel. "Scully!"

"Yeah?"

"I think we haven't heard the last of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Something tells me, that's a name to remember."

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**THE END**


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